Amnesiac Kuroko
by gracelions
Summary: After winning the championship against Meiko Kuroko has an accident which leads to him forgetting everything. Because of this he tries to work his way to remember while at the same time play the sport he loves and teach Seirin the kind of basketball he loves and believes in. The GoM isn't too happy with the disappearence of their shadow so when they find him they want him back.
1. Chapter 1

Kuroko Tetsuya was walking home after the Generation of Miracles won the last Middle School championship in basketball. It hadn't been glorious for they crushed their opponents' spirits. The faces their opponents made broke the teenager's heart so after they won the championship he packed his things up and left without looking back because of this he didn't see his friends looking around for him.

Walking down the streets in his basketball uniform he got some odd looks, but he didn't pay any attention to the strangers. He just wanted to go home and curl up under his blanket on his bed to try and forget those empty eyes and hopelessness. His blank faced mask slipped away and he let the tears gathered in his eyes fall. The people walking by him thought he had lost a basketball match and was crying over it. They had no way of knowing that he was shedding tears for those who had been broken by him and his team.

The blue haired boy was so lost in his feelings he didn't realize a car was speeding towards him as he was making his way across the street with him having the green light. The surrounding people recognised the danger too late to warn the boy and could only watch helplessly as the fast approaching vehicle slammed into the slim body of the blue eyed boy. The screech of tires was only present after the boy's body had made contact with the hood of the car, but even then it was short lived and once the teen's body hit the ground behind it the car sped back up leaving the broken body behind. The bystanders were horrified after seeing this scene unfold before their eyes rooting them to their spots. Then someone ran forward to the prone body lying in a pool of his own blood breaking the frozen state the people were in and someone pulled their phone out of their pocket calling an ambulance frantically recounting what had happened. The young man who went over to the teenager happened to be a medic on free day so he was already stabilising the accident's victim to the best of his abilities with no real medical equipment to aid him. He made sure the boy's airway was clear and free, the body immobile so in case of spine or neck injure he won't make a move that could result in him being paralyzed. After he was done with that he began to put pressure on the worst bleeding injury which happened to be a head injury.

When the ambulance arrived they found a professional medic keeping their patient as stable as he could. When they stepped up to the boy the young man began to list the injuries and possibilities just like he was trained to do in a situation like this. The medic strapped the boy to a board to prevent spine or neck injuries getting worst if there is one. After the loaded the boy into the car with his things thrown in. One of the medics worked on the boy while the other began looking through his bag to find a contact to reach his guardians. She found a cell phone in a hidden little pocket. Looking through the contacts she didn't find the number of his mother or father, but she found his grandmother's so she called her and gave a short briefing of the events and told her where they were going.

The ambulance reached the hospital so fast that the ride was over in a matter of three minutes. Getting out of the vehicle they were met with a team of doctors and nurses who took the boy away from them and wheeled him away. The patients who were waiting for their turn in getting treated watched as the team rushed first into an examination room then not too long after they went in they rushed the boy on the gurney out and towards surgery without stopping. As the flurry of movements died down the patients in the waiting area looked at each other with pale faces as they tried to get over the sight of all that blood and broken body. Thirty minutes after the hit and run victim had been wheeled into surgery an old lady walked inside and went up to the reception desk.

"I'm here for Kuroko Tetsuya." said the lady. The woman at the desk looked up silently inquiring who she is. "My name is Kuroko Takane. I'm his grandmother."

The woman nodded and typed away on her computer looking up the information. "I'm sorry, but as of right now I can't give you any new information because he's in surgery." The lady nodded her head soberly and sat down in the chair closest to the doors.

The old lady waited in the hospital for three hours before the doctors came out of the surgery with her grandson. She got scared when she caught a glimpse of the boy. Tetsuya had an oxygen mask on his face, wraps around his head and torso, and he was hooked up on a good number of machines. She turned towards the doctor who came from behind the doors her grandson came from.

After giving the customary polite bow she became all business. "Kuroko Takane." said the woman as a greeting. "What happened to my grandson?"

The seasoned doctor looked at the lady and felt like a school boy in front of their stern teacher who wants them to give a full answer without leaving any detail out so he willed himself to gather his thoughts and gave his answer. "Missis Kuroko your grandson had been in a really bad accident. He had been the victim of a hit and run. The car hit his left side upon contact. The accident left him with three broken ribs on his left side, a badly injured knee that will require physical therapy once he's fine enough, his left shoulder had been dislocated and his arm is broken. On his right side he only sustained bruises and scratches, but our deepest concern is his extensive head injury. His head had been bleeding badly after he had been hit, upon closer inspection we have been able to identify a life threatening concussion. Right now he only hangs onto his life by mere strands. I'm really sorry to tell you this, but he only has a chance if he can survive tonight, but he only has a thirty percent chance."

Kuroko Takane had listened silently to everything the doctor had to tell her until the very last word. "Thank you for briefing me in." mumbled the woman. "Do not worry doctor you didn't fight for his life for nought for I know my grandson to be a fighter. He had already pulled through more than once when he had odds like this. I'm sure he can do it again." with that the lady turned away from the doctor asking the closest nurse to lead her to her grandson's room and left the doctor.

Kuroko Takane found herself in a room where only one bed was stationed which contained her grandson. Her only family. She hadn't thought of her son and his wife as family for years now and she sure as hell won't do it now. They lost that privilege and she rather sees her family heirloom and money go to people in need if her grandson somehow doesn't survive than let it go to them. She looked at the boy on the bed being aided in breathing and watched by an assortment of machines. She took the teenager's right hand in hers making sure to not bother the wrappings of his injuries. The slim hand was cold like most of the time because of the teen's bad circulation. She engulfed the small hand in her own warm hands and began working on warming it up just like every time she did for him when the coldness of his hands bothered him. She had never thought this action would calm her racing heart someday with its familiarity.

Back at the arena the Generation of Miracles were looking for their phantom who had disappeared suddenly after their matches. They had been looking for him for some time now. Though they had won the championship they hadn't been able to celebrate it with their sixth man missing. He may have not been playing that much, but that was to not tire him out like they did twice when they forgot who bad Kuroko's was. It had been ingrained in their heads after the boy fainted in the middle of a match because they had over worked him. To say had been sacred was an understatement. They had been terrified for his health when they saw him laying on the floor unconsciously. It had turned out that they made him run so much that he had fainted due to his body not being able to keep up with all the demands it had been faced with. That was their rude wakeup call and ever since then they made sure the light blue haired boy never got to that point or anywhere near it. Akashi had went through the trouble creating a lighter training menu for him, he had went so far as to make it so compatible to the boy that it was lighter than any other training menu. The third and second stringers had been angry at the news of him getting special treatment, but the Generation of Miracles made them shut their mouths easily by telling them that they could get lighter training if they can beat Kuroko in a two against two match where they would go against two Generation of Miracles with Kuroko being one of them. The players gave a collective gulp at the dark threatening faces of the miracles and went back to training with their metaphorical tails between their legs to never ever bring it up again even when they saw the obviously easier training the boy went through.

Murasakibara was walking around the arena looking for Kuroko while munching on his snacks. The giant had had his many disagreements with the smaller male when it concerned basketball, but outside of it they had a harmonious friendship with the purple haired teen sharing his sweets with the other, and the blue eyed boy bringing him bentos filled with delicious food. He had been surprised the first time the boy gave him one, but then slowly got used to the thought of the other getting him cocked food every day. It was something he had come to look out for, but now they will part and he was sure no one will make him bentos again. It was a kindness he now associates with the bluenette.

Midorima was going through the arena metodically. He hadn't been able to find the phantom player so far and no one had seen him. The second thing wasn't that much of a surprise for the boy had always been hard to spot and that was what aided him in playing basketball the way he did. The green haired shooter had wanted to continue his conversation with the smaller boy about the book he had read recently upon Kuroko's insistence. It had been a great book and now he wanted to talk it out with someone and who would be better for it than the one who recommended it.

Kise was making his way through the crowds painfully slowly as his fans held him back and it made him angry for he couldn't take it right now when his former mentor was nowhere to be found and he knew Akashi will have his head if doesn't get through his part of the arena.

Aomine had dragged Momoi with himself on his quest of finding his shadow for he was afraid the boy got hurt and that is why they couldn't find him. He had had a great falling out with the tealnette not that long ago and ever since then the boy sent wistful gazes his way making his heart break a little bit more every time it happened. He had wanted to somehow mend the bond he broke on their way home.

Akashi was walking purposefully. Everyone who came his way jumped out of his path at the hard look in his heterochromatic eyes. No one wanted to be on the wrong side of that ruthless captain who had just led his team to win another championship. The red head was surrounded by a dark aura. He had come to the infirmary for his phantom player after they had won to take him with himself to the award ceremony, but the other hadn't been there. It elicited an instant reaction from the captain who had been sure of his player's where about until he was met with the empty room.

The Generation of Miracles looked through the whole building multiple times without success. In the end the captain grudgingly told them all to go home and notify him if they see or hear about the boy. What he didn't know was that they won't meet with the shadow for months.

It was a warm spring day and students were walking through the gates of Seirin's gates. The high school had only opened last year so it was really new, meaning it had limited amount of clubs for the students had to begin them last year. The walk ways to the buildings were lined with trees. Many of them being blooming Sakura trees. The falling soft pink petals gave the place a great highlighting.

A light blue haired boy walked through the crowd without being noticed by anyone or bumping into anyone even though he was reading a book. He looked up at the board stating where he could find the clubs stands. It helped the new students to know where to look for the club they were interested in. He looked them over then went on his way to the club he wanted to be the member of. He stepped up to the table where the current members were talking to some really tall guy about him joining their team. He tried to get their attention, but found it impossible after no one turned his way even when he spoke to them so he just filed out the required paperwork for requesting membership in their club. Leaving them behind, he went into the building and up the stairs to his class room. Choosing the last seat in the row right next to the window and sat down. Throughout his journey to his desk he never put his book away. It gave him a comforting feeling to have it in his hands at all times. If asked he wouldn't have been able to tell you why he moved around like that for he didn't remember anything before waking up in a hospital bed.

 _Flashback:_

 _It was a warm day when a boy with light blue hair woke up. When he looked around he saw a chair on the left side of his bed. 'Who could have been here with me?' As soon as this went through his head he tried to remember how got to be in this bed, but couldn't come up with anything with the migraine like head ache he had. Waiting a couple of minutes he was rewarded with the pain in his head easing away. Once he could think clearly he tried again only to discover that he couldn't remember anything. Not the events that brought him to be in this bed, nor the things that could have happened before that. Trying to remember some basic information about himself he was met with a blank mind._

 _As he realized he couldn't remember his own name he began to hyperventilate lightly, then it turned to full out panic attack as he got scared of not being able to remember or breathe correctly. His slight hyperventilation turned into a strong one making the machines that were hooked up to him beep in warning continuously calling the medical personal to the boy._

 _A team of doctors ran inside and stood around the bed trying to help the patient calm down with little to no success until one of them choose to give the boy some pain relievers._

 _End of Flashback_

The blue eyed teenager only put his book away when the teacher stepped inside the class room. He paid close attention to the class writing down everything important in one of his notebooks. Since he woke up without his memory he wrote down every piece of information fearing he would otherwise forget something.

At the end of the day he made his way to the gym where the basketball club will be having its training. He didn't know how good he will be, but knowing it was something he did before the accident he signed up for it hoping it will jog his memory. Changing from his uniform into his training clothes he made his way into the gym first. After him came a girl and a guy who was wearing glasses. He tried to get their attention, but they didn't seem to see him so he let it go.

He watched as the girl made the other first years take their shirts off so she could measure them with her eyes alone. Once she looked everyone, but he over she looked around for him even though he was standing in front of her. Stepping forward he lifted his right hand slightly and called out. "I'm right here." The girl looked at him dumbly at first with everyone else then suddenly she let out a loud scream. The shocked second years came out of their stupor enough to ask their coach if she was alright, but not enough to not to stutter in their speech. After telling them that he had been there all along they were even more shocked. How come they hadn't seen the boy? He had been able to walk up to their coach without anyone noticing until he made his presence known.

"Right." muttered the girl. "Take off your shirt." ordered the girl getting some semblance of normality back. Once the pale boy took off his shirt she had been shocked. She was sure the boy lied. There was no way the Generation of Miracles would accept such a small weakling as him as one of them. These thoughts accompanied her on her way home.

The next day at school she had been asked for official membership from the first years namely Kagami and Kuroko. She told them that she will only accept their official forms on Monday on the school's roof before 8 AM. That had shut them up and she hadn't been bothered for the rest of the week.

When Monday came the first years came up onto the roof behind her. It took some time to get them to shout out their goal, but in the end it was done to only Kuroko to shout. She had been scared again by him when he asked her if he could use a speaker. After saying yes he was about to state his goal when the teacher arrived to scold them and put a stop to it.

Kagami Taiga was training in a street basketball court for the upcoming trainings and matches being all pumped up. He had been in the middle of a jump getting ready to shot the ball when he saw the blue haired weird guy standing on the other side of the fence. It scared so much he shot the ball wrong and it landed in the light blue haired boy's hands.

"Good technic, bad execution." was all he said.

Kagami had a vein popping on his forehead in anger. "And whose fault is that?" demanded the teen angrily.

"Yours obviously." came the calm answer. It made the red and black haired tall player even angrier. He began to hurl insults towards the blank faced guy, but it seemed to have no effect no matter what he said. "If you're done with this childish tantrum and ready to accept that the missed shot is your own fault I would like to ask a question." The taller of the two had trouble controlling his shaking eyebrow which didn't escape the bluenette's sharp eyed gaze. "Looks like you can't calm down right now so I'm going to take my leave now."

Before the blue eyed boy could leave the other grabbed him by the back of his uniform and lifted him up. "Just who tell hell do you think you are?" shouted the taller teen. "You can't just appear out of nowhere anytime you want, disrupt other people's training then disappear without apologizing." continued the angry teenager while letting go of the smaller male's clothing.

"I haven't done anything other than watch you train which can happen any time you train on a street ball field. I don't have to announce my presence to you for I only stepped inside the court after you knew about me being here and I had the ball in my hands. So there is no need for me to apologize. You on the other hand should for your behaviour towards me was hostile without a reason and it is rude to lift someone up by their clothing."

Kagami sputtered at the rebuke, but couldn't say anything for it was true to the last word of it. The boy may be weird with appearing out of thin air, but that didn't justify his actions. He had acted towards him like a bully and that is something he shouldn't do to any one and certainly not to a teammate. He had come here with the intent to let out some pent up stress by playing basketball and not by taking it out on someone no matter how creepy they were. He hung his head and mumbled an apology then shot off his question. "Is it true that the Generation of Miracles are the strongest players of Japan?" His curiosity was rewarded with the same blank look the boy always wore. "Yes. They are."

If I played against them right now would I win?" there was hope in his eyes only to be snuffed out by the blue eyed boy's next statement.

"You wouldn't even be able to hold your own against the second years." with that the boy seemed to choose to ask his question later for he turned on his heel threw the ball back to him and left without ado. Kagami was left standing there thinking on the pale boy's words.

The next day the basketball club had a training game. The second years against the first years. The seniors ruled the game without much to do for Kagami was a strong player, but too impatient and hot headed to really pose as a threat. He hadn't passed the ball no matter how much of a tight spot he had been in.

By the time they got to half the time the newbies were tired and ready to give up. The tall red-black haired teen began to threaten one of the other first years, gaining the seniors and their coach's attention, until someone broke him out of his tirade by kneeing him in the back of his knees making him let go of the player he had grabbed.

"Kagami-kun please calm down. Your anger isn't going to help us." It seems that hadn't been the right thing to say for the angry tiger pounded on him. First trying to hit him then grabbing him and shacking him.

The seniors watched the display with _I can't believe this is happening_ faces until Hawkeye spotted something. "Wait, had Kuroko been playing all this time? I haven't seen him though out the whole match." Hyuuga looked up with shock written across his face. He turned towards their coach who just came to the same conclusion for she was looking towards the first years too.

After that display the flow of the game suddenly changed. Insane passes happened all across the court on the first years team pulling them up to tie with the second years only to stop in the last minute of the match making the newbies lose the game. The seniors were happily cheering when there was a loud shout. "What the hell Kuroko! Why did you suddenly stop passing the ball?" Kagami was screaming at the top of his lungs. Sensing a storm brewing Hyuuga went up to the two to stop them if it turned ugly.

"I stopped passing because you forgot about your team every time after you got the ball. Basketball is a team sport not an everyone supports Kagami Taiga sport." came the spicy reply monotonously. "If you ever want to have a chance against the Generation of Miracles you have to learn how to play as a part of the team." hearing the reasons behind the not winning the first years couldn't help but nod along. Riko and the second years were surprised by the insight the petite male had on the sport until they reminded themselves that he had been part of the Generation of Miracles.

"Kuroko's right Kagami-kun. This is a team sport and because of that you have to play as a team" Riko said before falling silent as a thought came to her. The newbie gave her what she had to concentrate on first in the team's training. Now all she needed to do was make the training regime.

 **A.N.: I changed Kuroko's grandmother's name from Takumi to Takane. The suggestion came from LargScherwiz. Thank you for your help!**


	2. Chapter 2

After the infamous training match, where Kuroko showed the team his special abilities while making sure they knew from the very beginning that he won't be anyone's partner in turning team play into individual play, the team found themselves neck deep in team play exercises. It was annoying at first, but soon the seniors saw that the newbies had hard time playing as a team and it was then that they understood why, did it turn the flow of the game when Kuroko really began to play. The boy had pulled them together into a real team until Kagami threw it out the window. Luckily for them Riko understood way before them and changed their training menu drastically. They still had a hard menu, but now the most important part was to recreate the team so the first years would be a real part of the team.

Kuroko had been coming to practice happily ever since their coach changed their training's focus. It pleased him immensely. He couldn't tell why he was so happy about it. It must be connected to his forgotten memories. The tealnette had a hardcover notebook with a pen attached to it, he used it to write down every bit of information he discovered about himself to get to know himself again. It was hard and strange and took its toll on the teen. His grandmother had been supportive since he woke up without memories, she had helped with everything and anything. He didn't know where he would be without her because she had been the only non-medical person in his hospital room since he woke up and after some questioning he knew no one asked after him. He most likely didn't have friends for if he had they would have asked about him. This fact saddened him to the point that he asked his grandmother why no one misses him besides her. After he uttered the question he witnessed something he didn't think he would ever see.

Kuroko Takane had always been a strong woman, who seldom shed tear, most of them had been shed because of her grandson. As soon as she heard what he asked tears filled her eyes and slipped down her face. She rose up from her chair, stepped up to the bed and puled the teen into a warm embrace letting him cry on her shoulder just like every other time. It amazed her how kind, understanding and loyal he stayed even after everything that happened with him when he was younger. Whenever she hugged him she was painfully reminded that he won't grow anymore or maybe only a little bit, but it won't make a real difference for he won't ever grow out the clothe size he is now. He will always be a small, slim boy, who can't eat much and barely any endurance. As she remembered all that the familiar anger replaced the sadness.

One morning Tetsuya and Takane were eating breakfast before the teen would go to school. Their meals were as different as night and day. Takane had a wholesome breakfast consisting of miso soup, fried rice, cooked fish with a bowl of vegetables and a mug of green tea, on the other side of the table sat the teen with his measly little meal… well a normal person wouldn't call it a meal for it consisted of a pouched egg, a quarter of a tomato cut into thin slices, for a drink the boy had a big glass of vanilla milkshake with a straw in it.

The light blue haired boy was eating slowly, one small bite after another. The shake hadn't been touched since it had been made because one of Takane's breakfast rules stated he couldn't drink until he ate everything on his plate. This rule had been made after a whole week into his stay in his new home in his grandmother's house because he always drank his shake but left most or all his food on his plate untouched. Eating breakfast had always been alien to him for he never had breakfast before he came here, his parents never gave him breakfast, but that he did not remember as of right now. Once done with his food he greedily grabbed his glass and began to drink happily eliciting a soft smile onto his grandmother's face.

"Do you have everything?" asked Takane as Tetsuya pulled his shoes on and laced them.

"Yes I made a list and crossed out everything I had in my bag then I put in the things that hadn't been crossed out before." replied the boy. Then he said goodbye to his grandmother and left.

The walk to his high school took a good thirty minutes, forty-five if he walks really leisurely. He liked to take his time walking to his school every morning to appreciate all the nature and little details about the buildings and streets. The people he saw everyday around the same time gave him a sense of routine and normality. Since he woke up in that hospital bed he had been trying to piece himself back together, but he couldn't remember anything no matter what he discovered about himself it did not trigger his memory. His grandmother had told him many things about himself and his years in middle school. He had a team which consisted of his friends, after learning this he asked where they were. His grandmother didn't know their full names and after his cell phone gave out a day or two after the accident and in that time the old woman did not look into any contacts so now they have no way to contact any of his friends from middle school. It hurt to know that he may never be able to get to know his friends again or talk with them. At least he knew how they look like from group pictures his grandma showed him. On the pictures he saw six very different looking boy and a pink haired girl. They all looked so happy and carefree. His grandmother had no idea where his friends went to learn so couldn't even look for them on their campuses. His guardian had told him everything he had once told her about his friends and their basketball club and activities. She had followed along his stories and the teams changes with warm compassion for all of them for in her eyes they are just children, whose struggling with finding their places after they left their pears behind in growth so much that they couldn't find anyone to match them in strength. Learning from second hand what he once knew and experienced was disconcerting to say the least. Rediscovering himself is strange. Having to try out his favourite foods and drinks with no recollection of their tastes is bittersweet. He still likes the same things as he did before the accident, but he only has his grandmother's words and experiences to go on, meaning anything he might have tried while with his friends and forgot to tell her is lost to him now. All the memories he must have cherished is out of his reach as well as his friends.

Aomine Daiki hadn't been himself since his shadow disappeared. He had withdrawn from everyone other than his middle school friends making his new teammates irate with him, but he didn't care. Nothing really moved him to care. He only went to practices because Momoi dragged him to the gymnasium, he didn't participate, but at least he watched the proceedings sometimes. The pink haired girl watched worriedly as her childhood friend loses his drive to do anything other than exist. It had been no secret that he had a big fight with his Shadow, but anyone who knew him like her could tell that he was just confused about what to do. No one wanted to fight with him anymore, even if it was a playful game with no weight to it. It killed something in the dark blue haired boy. The love for the sport that shined in his eyes for years was nowhere to be found now. Before his disappearance the smaller boy kept that light alive even if only a tiny shred had been in existence it was better than what she saw right now. This complete and utter hopelessness scared her and chilled her to the bones for it meant that only Tetsu-kun's presence made him go on. And now… now he didn't have that. To watch such a strong boy wither away before her own eyes was hard, trying to stay positive was even harder. She never really understood the depth of their friendship until now. She had known the tall player longer than the boy, but the slight teen made a bigger impact on Touo's new ace than anyone ever before.

Shutoku's basketball team had been strong for a long time now, but they had a new ace. They had been one of the schools which had won over one of the Generation of Miracles. Midorima Shintaro was a great shooter, but he was the strangest person the team had ever met and they had seen some really interesting people. Though no one could compare to the green haired shooter. They had never knew someone could be so focused on horoscope, believe it wholeheartedly and follow it to the t.

Ever since Midorima became a member they were told what their horoscopes contained for every individual day. There are two items on hand to him every day, one of them is the ever changing lucky item of the day, the other item is a book he carried around like a deeply religious would a bible. They didn't know why he lugged it around with him every day and everywhere he went. They had seen him reading it multiple times, he had read through it a couple of times already from cover to cover from the looks of it. They didn't what tied him to that book so tightly, but they learned rather quickly that they will face dire consequences if they so much as touch it. The first and last person who had put their hands on it had been shot with balls that quite literally fell from the sky. After that incident the team learned not to mess with the shooter's things.

Murasakibara Atsushi had long since gotten used to everyone running away from him in fear because of his size. It wasn't different here either. The only person who remotely tolerated him was Murochin. He only did so because he needed the purple haired boy's help with beating someone in basketball. At least he gave him snacks too, though since Kurochin disappeared his prediction came true and no one cared enough about him to give him bentos and talk to him about things that did not relate to basketball or him eating something, with Kuroko it was different. The little Shadow was never afraid of him and constantly sought out his company to talk about anything and everything. Though he was the team's smallest member he gave something to the young giant he had never got before, unconditional trust. He had never before met someone, who wasn't a relative and didn't falter at his size and/or keep their distance just in case. With teal head he had experienced what it means to be treated as a normal person and have a real friendship. He knows he's slow when it comes to education, but now he also knows he's not stupid for the Phantom had sat down with him every weekday and tutored him through their three years of middle school showing him that if he applies himself to it he can get decent grades. Akachin had been really supportive of him being tutored by the boy as he saw the improvement in his performance in school, his parents were shocked and pleased about the change too. Now that he was in high school he couldn't help, but miss the old days when he had a constant study partner and a friend who asked about how he felt every day. It was disconcerting to see how little others cared about him in this new school, they only saw his basketball abilities, but not him.

Kise Ryouta had made it clear to his new team upon meeting them that they were beneath him and if they want him to do his best they have to conform to what he wants. They didn't want to at first, but then he beat all of them in one on one's, after that only the captain Kasamatsu was standing there unrelenting and he literally beat him to stay in line. He didn't like or respect him and he told him so.

"You don't know what respect means!" shouted the enraged captain.

At this his eyes narrowed and he answered with anger clear on his face and a coldness in his voice they never heard before. "It doesn't matter to me that you're my senpai. My respect is earned not freely given and just so you know I had a teammate back in middle school who did not need violence to keep people in line even though he was no captain or secondary captain. He kept people in line by earning himself the respect to keep them silent and obedient. When I met him I didn't give a damn about what he wanted or said. He got me to follow him by playing basketball!"

The silence that followed his proclamation was palpable. To know that there is someone who had already done that gave them hope and damnation at the same time for he had basically told them they didn't measure up to some random Teiko player, who never needed to do anything other than play to get Kise to follow his commands.

Rakuzan High School had been able to get its hand on the Generation of Miracles captain Akashi Seijurou. The red headed boy was a great team captain and coach, but they shouldn't forget that he's also the current student council director and top student. They had hit jackpot with the heterochromatic youngster or so they thought. The freshman was a ruthless coach and captain making his new team suffer regularly.

Since the GoM lost their Phantom Akashi became obsessed with knowing where his teammates are 24/7. It annoyed the players, but they couldn't do anything against it and they learned pretty early on that what Akashi wants Akashi gets. The captain's twitchiness made them wary of what might have caused such a lasting effect on him.

Seirin High's building looked fancy from afar because the whole school was new. The students loved the fact that they can lay down the fundaments of their school for the younger's who will follow them in later years. For Kuroko Tetsuya it meant he doesn't have to learn the school's history. He likes his team so far, especially the second years who look after him like older brothers, but he missed his memories so much. He had wanted to remember to able to compare the two.

Ever since he made his thoughts known the second years took him under their wing. No matter how strange Hyuuga could be he was one of the first to learn when Kuroko was facing problems he couldn't solve on his own. The bluenette had a bully problem briefly, but once he told the captain he had an angry, scary looking second year on the lose for about an hour when the glasses wearing senior came back he cheerily told him that the issue had been dealt with. What he hadn't said was how he did it and after a warning from said second year no one will tell the tiny boy. The others had long since learned not to anger their leader so they won't have to face his bipolar tendencies. The first years will have to learn the hard way what it's like when he gets irritated or angry with them. Kagami was aiming to be the first one to experience it.

Training became gruelling for the boys since Riko had taken Kuroko's opinion seriously and recreated the program. They were still hard at work getting their stamina up to par. The young girl made it quite hard to maximize the benefits of it. In their first stamina training she came face to face with the powder blue haired boy's physical capabilities, forcing her to rethink the boy's training for it became obvious he can't do what she formerly thought to be the bare minimum. She had to lower his level so much to suit him that she had taken a double take. She had to consult with her father to make sure she estimated his abilities right. To be told she was right in her regime was both calming and disturbing. To face this brutal reality is like a slap to the face. She had always thought she will only work with better conditioned people, her father then sat her down to tell her about some of the people he had worked with, who had weaker statistics. "You didn't see them because their needs are more demanding and need more careful planning than most. I wanted to show you this depth this summer."

In the beginning some grumbled about it, but Hyuuga scared them into line for her. While the team run ten laps, Kuroko ran three. He was weak in every aspect other than arm strength, he beat everyone in that aspect. They had been shocked when they were beaten after the came to terms of the former Teiko student being the weakest. Kagami couldn't believe it at first, but then they were reminded by their coach that for the Shadow to make such strong, fast and accurate passes he needed muscle power.

When they played again they made two teams after choosing two captains who called the members names. The leaders were Hyuuga and Kagami. The red head gave him the opportunity to begin first and he surprised him by calling Kuroko's name. After the younger boy shook his surprise off, they went through the choosing.

Riko blew her whistle signifying the beginning of the game. Hyuuga led his team with a calm assurance in his abilities after last year. He put good use to all of his team mates' abilities. Their attacks were swift and flawless, scoring point after point with no reprieve given to their opponents. They got the ball from one end of the court to the other so fast there was no time for an efficient defence to be put up. Hyuuga never knew how much a passing specialist could change the flow of the game until he faced Kuroko. Since then he knew it was no laughing matter, the boy may not be able to score points, but he could deliver the ball to you in crucial moments in the right time for you to score. A ball which had only just been collected after it rebounded from a failed attempt from their opponents getting across the court in seconds with the opposing team nowhere near you gave you time to shoot calmly and that was something you should treasure because points like that don't come that easy most of the time. He had fought in hard matches against strong teams to know that. They may have gotten far last year, but they had to fight with all they got so they would have a fighting chance against most schools because compared to them Seirin didn't have the same resources for last year they only had first years and they had felt the weight of it. And now having a teammate you can count on to get you the ball when you can't possibly get it normally, was like a breath of fresh air for his starving lungs. Having the younger boy watch his back was something he did not want to give up even though he had only just began to play with him on his team there was no way he will let him go.

Kuroko loved every moment of their game under Hyuuga's leadership. The second year was a partner for him receiving his passes without complaint and even passing to him regularly. The glasses wearing teen had exchanged the ball for points every time he shoot at the hoop. One time while they were walking back to their side the captain told him how good he was doing and to not give up because the end is far, but tell him if he doesn't feel good and needs to sit down. The bluenette didn't know if he ever had this kind of kindness from his former team, but he couldn't hide the minute smile that came to his face at these words for a moment and nodding his consent.

In the end Hyuuga's team won by a wide margin using everyone's talents to score until the very last blow of whistle. Their coach congratulated them on a good game and they left the gym with the girl's parting words echoing in their heads. "At least we now know how Kuroko can work with people who actually take teamwork into accunt."


End file.
